I am a “seasoned” citizen who was raised in Washington DC in a political family where both parents worked in the federal government. As children, we were expected to have read the newspaper and take part in the discussions at the dinner table.

Therefore, I have been a “political junkie” my entire life and worked actively in campaigns from JFK through Carter (yes, I was an avid and active Democrat). At that time, I was becoming both disillusioned with the political process and drifting rightward and out of the political process. I continued to vote but usually it was a vote against, not for someone. For a long time, I did not affiliate myself with any party, process, or candidate’s campaign.

Then as the Tea Party movement grew, I began hearing about candidates all across the country who were “bubbling up” out of their dissatisfaction with what we are seeing career politicians do to our country. Finally, I saw some true hope for us. I began researching many of them and contributing to their campaigns.

Somehow, I heard about Chip and hit the computer to do research. I liked what I saw and read. Soon I had gotten in communication with Chip via both phone and e-mail. As I fired MY litmus tests at him, he came back with answers that satisfied my concerns: total fiscal responsibility (including anti-pork); adherence to Constitutional values; self-imposed term limits; not old (I am tired of the dodderers); etc.

I moved from “following” to contributing to helping in the campaign. It has been Chip’s sincerity, his approachability, his stature, and his personality that have brought me back into the process. His adherence to his principles, his concern for our country, and his ideas to overcome the challenges facing it confirmed that I had made the right choice.

We need to bring real change to Washington. Let’s start with Chip Cravaack!

-Marcia Lang

Marcia is a retired teacher who has lived in Two Harbors, MN for 42 years.